ANMELDENGABRIELLE’S POV[CONTENT WARNING: Dark themes, violence, emotional manipulation, and toxic relationship dynamics.]Damon finally let go when Aiden stopped struggling.I stumbled back slightly as I watched him check for a pulse.He stood up and stared down at the body for a long minute, then glanced at the grave. “It’s still not wide enough.”Before I could even say anything, he jumped back into the hole and continued digging again, as if nothing had happened.I was sick of his lack of words.I knelt on the ground and tried to climb down into the grave since I wasn’t tall enough to risk a jump.But I missed a step and almost slipped.A startled gasp left my mouth.Damon caught me instantly and pulled me against him. “Where are you going?”I wrapped my arms around his neck, my heart still racing from almost falling. “To you. You still seem mad at me.”He stared down at me for a brief second before setting me back on my feet. “I need to finish this, Gabrielle.”Then he picked up the shov
GABRIELLE’S POV PRESENT CONTENT WARNING: Dark themes, violence, murder, emotional manipulation, toxic relationship dynamics. Damon’s expression was flat by the time I stopped speaking. The silence made me uneasy. I couldn’t let it continue. “I went to see Zane so he could wipe the clinic footage,” I added quickly. My brain was begging me to shut up, but I couldn’t. “It didn’t work, so there’s probably footage of me kidnapping a patient,” I continued. “Although, judging by the state of that place, maybe they couldn’t even afford CCTV cameras.” Damon still said nothing. He just stared at me with the same unreadable expression that was beginning to make my stomach hurt. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. ‘In my defense, their security was terrible. Like… deeply concerning.’” Still nothing. Regret was slowly creeping up my spine. Not for what I did, but for the possibility that Damon might actually be angry with me, or worse. He returned to Aiden and leaned down to ta
GABRIELLE’S POVAN HOUR AGOAiden took out a knife from his back pocket. “Let’s take a nice walk into the woods.”I turned around and began walking forward.I could still hear faint music from the party behind us.Aiden stayed close, the knife still in his hand.I kept my expression calm even though my pulse was beating painfully hard against my ribs.“Just do as I say. If I wanted to kill you immediately, I would have done it already,” he said.“That’s comforting,” I replied flatly.He laughed softly. “Most women would be screaming for help by now. They would have double-crossed me, or tried to.”“Most women wouldn’t have followed you into the woods in the first place.”“That’s true.” His voice carried amusement. “You must like me a lot. But it’s okay. You can pretend I’m forcing you.”I almost laughed.“Why would any woman like you?” I asked, still walking forward. “You stink. You’re not attractive enough for your attitude. You’re weak and pathetic.”I turned slightly—he had paused
GABRIELLE’S POVA FEW DAYS AGOI tailed Aiden from the parking lot almost all the way out of town.My curiosity was piqued.I wondered what had prompted him to drive such long distances, but I was going to find out soon enough.Over an hour later, he finally pulled into a building.I followed suit from a distance, then waited until he had gotten out of his car and into the building before entering the parking lot.I paused for a second, unsure what to do next.But I had already come all this way. I couldn’t just turn around now.I got out of the car and cautiously entered the building.People were walking in and out casually, the receptionists barely paying attention to anyone unless they approached the desk.That was when I realized this place was a care facility.Most of the people sitting around the lobby were elderly. Some looked confused, others seemed completely disconnected from their surroundings.A few nurses moved through the building quietly, helping residents from one room
DAMON’S POVI retraced my steps through the entrance, scanning the hall as I walked.She wasn’t there.Rhys was still seated where I had left him, speaking with a group of men.I walked straight to him. “Where is she?”He frowned slightly, then dismissed the people he was talking to. “What are you talking about?”“Where is Gabrielle?” I asked, my voice louder than intended.His expression fell, like he suddenly realized he was supposed to be looking out for her.“She stepped out back a few minutes ago.”“With who?”“She was alone.”I nodded once and turned away, ignoring the rest of what he said and Fiorella’s questions.I didn’t waste time asking anyone else.I stepped outside and headed toward the back of the building without breaking stride.I dialed her number again.It rang once before going straight to voicemail.Fuck!A few steps ahead, I spotted her bag on the ground. I checked but her phone wasn’t in it.I stopped for a moment, scanning the area around me for any possible thr
DAMON’S POV I followed Zane out of the hall. He stopped by the open field beside the building, took a cigar from his submissive, and lit it. I stood a few steps away from him. “I thought you were dead, Carter.” He froze, then turned to me slowly. “Gravari,” he said, his expression dark. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” His submissive kept staring at me. I ignored her. “What are you doing with Don Lorenzo?” Zane exhaled a slow stream of smoke, his gaze steady on mine. “Business.” “Funny,” I replied. “I didn’t think your business involved men we’ve always been against.” His jaw tightened slightly, but he kept his composure. “Careful, Gravari. You’re starting to sound like you own me.” “I just want to know if you’ve switched sides,” I said. “Then I’ll be on my way.” A deliberate brief silence stretched between us. Zane took another drag from his cigar, then flicked the ash to the ground. “You always did have a way of making everything sound like a threat.” “That’s becaus
GABRIELLE’S POV My throat ran dry and my legs didn’t cooperate with my mind. I wanted to move, to get on the bed but all I could do was stand there and stare at him. “Isn’t this what you wanted?” He asked. I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. He lifted me easily, walked across the room,
GABRIELLE’S POV. . . . . “Why?” he asked softly, his breath warm against my ear and neck. A shiver ran down my spine as his hands pushed my wet hair aside, his fingers grazing the sensitive skin at the nape of my neck. Heat coiled low in my stomach, spreading upward until it mingled with th
GABRIELLE’S POV My face flushed so much that I could feel the heat radiating through my pores. Damon’s fingers rubbed my nipples ever so lightly, as if soothing them from the hard pinch, his warm breath still fanning against my ear. My body kept betraying me, but my mind snapped to realit
GABRIELLE’S POV I pushed the door to Lila’s room open and I found her sitting on the bed with a small coloring book. She raised her head, saw me and sighed. “What do you want?” Her little sigh shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did, but it sliced straight through me anyway. I stepped insi







